The Bishop's Weekly Column from the Parish Bulletin

OUR LADY OF FATIMA

CATHOLIC CHURCH

Motu Proprio "After Christmas"

December 15, 2006

According to Cardinal Medina Estévez (again) - the publication of the Motu Proprio will be "after Christmas". That's narrowing it down again ! (I wonder if my "depressor" friend has any hope left ???) Anyway the Spanish language Aci Prensa is carrying the news. A translation follows:

The Motu Proprio after Christmas, the Apostolic Exhortation on the Liturgy in January.

Redaccion Central, December 14th, 2006, (ACI).

Sources close to the Vatican informed ACI Press that the Motu proprio by which Pope Benedict XVI will grant universal permission for the Missal of Pius V may be published after Christmas; while the Post-Synodal Exhortation on the Eucharist will see the light in the middle of January.

The sources confirmed what Cardinal Jorge Medina Estévez declared to the press, who recently participated in the meeting of the Ecclesia Dei Commission, charged with dialog with the Lefebvrist schism, in which the final version of the Motu Proprio was revised.

The Indult will permit the Mass of St. Pius V to be celebrated freely, without the present requirement which requires the explicit permission of the local bishop. The Motu Proprio, nevertheless, does not touch on the canonical issue of the Society of St. Pius X, the schismatic organization created by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre.

The Apostolic Exhortation on the Eucharist, according to the same sources, has already been finalized by Pope Benedict XVI and is being translated into the various languages into which it will be presented.

The text, which will see the light of day after January 15th, according to the sources, reaffirms the “no” to married priests, promotes the use of Latin in liturgical celebrations, and also requires that seminarians learn the use of this language.

The text also supports the restoration of Gregorian chant and sacred polyphony in order to replace modern music, which would imply that there will be a gradual withdrawal of “inadequate” musical instruments in order to promote solemnity and reverence of the Eucharistic Celebration.

Whilst it is tempting to give way to a certain sense of nihilism having heard all these rumors before, I think this time I am ready to believe the boy who cries "wolf" (or should that be "shark" Bp. W ?) ...

+TF